About eight months after alleged corruption at Eskom was reported to the police, an employee of Eskom was finally arrested this week.
Col. Katlego Mogale, spokesperson for the Falcons, says a 36-year-old project manager is facing charges of fraud and corruption.
The accused, two more employees of Eskom and the company Luthando Engineering are implicated in the alleged fraud.
“The project manager allegedly received R25 000 from Luthando Engineering last October so that a tender would be granted to him,” says Mogale.
“In November another R25 000 was paid to the accused.”
The tender was to install lights at Eskom and the contract would last for a year.
Not long after the money was transferred to the project manager, it was brought to the attention of the Falcons’ corruption unit.
The Falcons investigated the case for months and finally got the opportunity this week to catch the accused in the act.
“The Falcons received information that the project manager would receive money again at the Kriel substation. The man was stopped and searched, but no money was found in his possession.”
The police did seize R16 000 in cash after searching the suspect’s house.
The suspect is expected to appear in the special court for commercial crime at Middelburg in Mpumalanga on Monday.
Maj. Gen. Ebrahim Kadwa, provincial commissioner of the Hawks, thanked the investigation team for their efforts to curb the “wave of corruption that is hampering economic growth in the country”.
